Here’s a photograph of me, The Gaffer, partying with two friendly Dutch fans in the streets of Berne, Switzerland before the Italy against Holland match.

I’ll be at Slainte’s Pub in Boynton Beach this afternoon cheering on the Dutch. Come back later tonight for a full report as well as articles throughout the day from the EPL Talk bloggers.

Experiencing Euro 2008 from the comfort of your home, office or local pub is so different than seeing the game live in person. But what goes on inside a stadium in the buildup to a Euro 2008 game?

For the first round of Euro 2008 matches that began at 2.45pm ET, most — if not all — of the stadiums televised the noon ET game on the giant screen TVs to encourage fans to get to the stadium early and to reduce traffic congestion in the buildup to the match.

When I watched the game between France and Romania on the giant TV screens before Holland played Italy in Berne, there were two problems. One, it was very difficult to watch a game on a giant screen TV no matter where your seat was in the stadium. Two, the stadium organizers had a DJ playing music throughout the game so it definitely took away the atmosphere of the match. But luckily we didn’t miss much as the French played an absolutely boring game against the very physical Romanians.

I was really impressed with the pre-match events organized by the Swiss. Sure, there was the predictable dancers running across the pitch carrying banners to pump up the crowd. But there was also a host who spoke to the crowd in English and explained what would happen in the build-up to the match. He then introduced two men. One spoke in Dutch to the Oranje army. The other man was Italian and spoke in his native tongue to his fellow countrymen.

Both the Dutch and Italian men tried to pump up their fans. The English-speaking host then explained how he wanted the Dutch and Italian fans to work together to ensure that the match was celebrated in the spirit of the game.

He then got the fans involved in a novel crowd participation game. A very large canvas sheet in the shape of a soccer ball was given to the Dutch fans at one end of the stadium. The host then encouraged the fans to pass the soccer ball canvas over their heads to the opposite side of the stadium where the Italian fans stood. The object of the game was to see if they could get it to the other end within 60 seconds.

While it was fun to watch the fans fumble the ball, it was definitely a good exercise to get the crowd working together as a team.

As the time sped forward toward kick off, the DJ continued to spin his records. The Italian and Dutch fans tried to sing above the din of the music but to no avail. The blasting music was detrimental to the atmosphere in the ground. By the time the game was almost ready to kick off, the fans were singing but not as loudly as they could have been. I really feel the music was to blame for this.

The site for all of these pre-match activities was Berne’s Wankdorf Stadium. Despite it’s laughable name, the ground is one of the best smaller stadiums I’ve ever visited. Recently rebuilt in 2005, the ground looks boxy from the outside, but inside it’s quite compact while still allowing enough leg room in the 32,000 all-seater. What surprised me was how well designed the concourse was than ran beneath the upper deck. The restrooms, for example, were as modern as what you’d expect to find in most larger hotels. And the way the concourse was designed allowed for easy flow of football supporters in and out of that corner of the ground.

Other than the annoying DJ, I give the Euro 2008 stadium experience at Berne’s Wankdorf Stadium a massive thumbs up.

Watching the Holland against Italy match earlier this week in Bern, the biggest relevation for me was seeing how Orlando Engelaar mastered the midfield for the Netherlands. The tall, lanky Dutchman was a key part of Holland’s success.Playing in the center of the park, the 28-year-old FC Twente midfielder dictated possession. He masterminded many of Holland’s attacks by playing key throughballs to the Dutch wingers and attackers. And when Italy charged forward, Engelaar quickly stifled their attacks oftentimes heading the ball away by outjumping Luca Toni.Incredibly, Engelaar only has 7 caps for Holland. He played his first match for the Dutch just last June, and he is one of the tallest players in the Eredivisie. Not surprisingly, Engelaar is captain of his club side FC Twente.When I reviewed Engelaar’s statistics at the Castrol Performance Index site, I was surprised by how much ground the midfielder covered. As you can see in the image, Engelaar covered almost every blade of the pitch and even advanced into the far corners of the field.In the heat map, you can see that he concentrated his efforts in the middle of the park, but he also tended to play more on the left but left the right side of the pitch alone.According to the same stats site, he covered 11,143 metres in the game (second only to teammate Rafael Van der Vaardt). That’s the equivalent of almost seven miles!If you take a look at Engelaar’s heatmap from Friday’s match against France (also from the Castrol Performance Index site), you can see that he focused more of his time in the center of the pitch and rarely traversed into other areas. Whether this was part of Holland’s tactics or maybe France prevented Engelaar from moving out of his position is unclear, but the data is interesting indeed.It’ll be interesting to see how Engelaar develops during the rest of the tournament. If I was one of the Premier League scouts, I’d be contacting his club in the next few days to see if there’s a possibility of signing this player. He seems to have everything. He’s fantastic in the air, calm under pressure, has wonderful passing abilities and excellent ball skills.

The Guardian’s Barney Ronay wrote an excellent article this week about ticket scalpers at Euro 2008. While in Zurich, I didn’t see one scalper. But the minute I walked off the train in Bern on the day of the Holland against Italy match, there were scalpers everywhere.

That day, I probably saw about 20-30 different scalpers. As Ronay said in his article, none of the police bothered the scalpers so they were free to roam the street soliciting people for tickets. There was a dozen of them roaming around the train station. One of my favorites was the bloke wearing a “I Love Soccer Moms” T-Shirt.

Along the journey to the stadium, we walked past supporters haggling with scalpers regarding ticket prices. Several of the discussions became quite heated over the veracity of the tickets and whether they were legitimate tickets or not. I’m by no means an expert on ticket scalping, but I was curious about the scalpers who were handing their potential customers cellphones. I’m not sure whether this was for them to call to confirm that the tickets were real or not, but it seemed an unusual way to do business.

About three hours before the match was scheduled to begin, scalpers were offering 750 Swiss Francs (equivalent of $750) for tickets. The face value of the tickets was $130 (at least mine was). Goodness knows how much the $750 price increased by as it got closer to kick-off time.

Here’s a brief video I shot of the Dutch friends we made in Bern. It’s one of those delightful football songs that’s almost impossible to get out of your head after you’ve heard it.

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Before the Holland vs Italy match at Euro 2008, the last professional football match I attended was in November 2006 when I saw Manchester United draw Chelsea 1-1 at Old Trafford. The reason why I haven’t seen any games in person since 2006 is because the nearest professional team to me is exactly 1,000 miles away from my home in Florida.

You could say I’ve watched a lot of football on TV in between that match and this past Monday’s Euro 2008 battle between the Dutch and Italians. As a rough estimate, I’ve probably watched more than 400 matches on TV during that time period.

So being at a professional match was a chance to view the occasion from a different perspective: TV versus reality.

The two different experiences are completely different. While sitting at my seat in the stadium, I was able to experience both TV and reality at the same time. If I wanted to see how the match looked live on TV, all I had to do was to look up at the giant TV screen above the goal. It was a little of a surreal experience being able to choose between both TV and reality.

When the match first kicked off, I spent the first 20 minutes or so watching the game unfold and ignored the giant TV screen. The game started with Holland having a lot of ball possession knocking the ball around their defense, to midfield and back around to their defenders again as they looked for a gap that was opened up by their wingers or Ruud van Nistelrooy up front.

After the excitement of being at the match subsided, I noticed that there were some major differences of watching a game in person:

1. The game seemed to be played at a slower pace.
2. The crowd seemed quieter.
3. It was difficult to see how much space there was between players who were in the opposite half of the field from where I was sitting, and
4. It was almost impossible to see what was happening in front of the other goal because of the defenders and other players blocking my view, especially in goalmouth scrambles.

In contrast, watching the game on TV (or in my case, the giant TV screen), the match seemed to be played at a faster pace, more like a video game, especially with the perspective of where the TV cameras were perched in the stadium as well as the overhead shots that are reminiscent of video games.

In person, the crowd sounded quieter than on TV and there were quiet spells during the game where both sets of fans didn’t sing and all you could hear was the buzz of the crowd chatting or making sounds. With the latest technology in speakers and sound equipment, the sound of football fans can be made to sound louder than what they actually are. The in person experience was disappointing and definitely not loud enough.

We’ve all been used to sitting or standing at a game and having a difficult time seeing what’s happening at the opposite end of the field. Up close, we can see the spaces between players and can better judge whether a pass can make it to a player on the same side. But when those type of passes and runs happen far away from our seats, our perspective is gone. It becomes very difficult to see really what is going on because it’s very difficult to judge how much space is really between players and the ball. Sitting higher up in the stadium will help with those sight lines, but then you’ll feel further away from the action on the field.

In the second half when Holland continued to attack the Italy half and tried to get a third goal to seal the victory, there were a few times where the ball was in the penalty area but I couldn’t see what was happening due to several players converging around that area blocking my view.

While there are many advantages of being at a football match in person, such as the being part of the experience, sharing it with thousands of other fans, taking part in the carnival atmosphere and being able to express yourself more completely, there are still many serious disadvantages.

I found myself watching more of the second half on the giant TV screen. When Holland attacked Italy, I was more easily able to see the distance between players and could better comprehend whether an attack had any chance of turning into a goal opportunity. The TV screens also had the advantage of showing close-ups of players as well as action replays.

In this particular match, with the controversial first goal by van Nistelrooy, it was more important than ever to see a TV replay to determine whether the goal should have been allowed or not. In the stadium, we were handicapped by only being able to see the replay once or twice and even then, it was difficult to see what really happened without the aid of a TV commentator pointing out what was happening. Imagine how the experience must have been for the referee and assistant referee who don’t see any TV replays at all during games!

While the experience of being at a professional match is definitely something one-of-a-kind, I find that its overrated especially when you realize the technological advances that the networks have made in producing live matches for television. Part of the appeal of being at a live match is one of bragging rights by fans. “I was there mate.” But seeing a match in person also appeals to our celebrity culture, where we can say that we saw players like Del Piero, Buffon, Matterazi and others in person. It’s almost like the Hollywood culture where people get more of a kick from seeing Paris Hilton in person than on screen. However, the movie watching experience is far greater than seeing the movie shot in person. Just as movies are able to add special effects and make the actors appear much larger in size, TV is able to heighten and capture the excitement of a football match and make it an even better experience than being at a match.

Share your thoughts on this topic by clicking the comments link below.

Miami is not known for good road signage. I’ve lived near the city for 24 years and I still get confused when I go downtown looking for the I-95 on-ramp. It’s not that the signage is poor. In some places, it simply doesn’t even exist.In Switzerland, it’s an entirely different story. From the moment I arrived in Zurich this past Sunday morning up until the time I left on Tuesday, my entire Euro 2008 experience was, as one French fan who saw me wearing a Dutch shirt after the win against Italy described, superb.Everything was so well organized. At the airport, there was an information bureau for Euro 2008 with volunteers answering questions. The airport was quiet when I arrived on Sunday morning, so five people worked together to answer my one question. Embarrassingly, they couldn’t answer it. The question was whether cameras were allowed in the stadium. They didn’t know and couldn’t find the answer. I later found out that the answer was yes, they were allowed but only for non-business purposes.What impressed me the most about Switzerland was their train service. Everything ran perfectly on time. After the Holland match, there was one incident at a train station which made me smile. One of the fans was standing in the doorway which prevented the electronic doors from closing. He was playing a cat and mouse game, and he was winning.A couple of minutes later, obviously incensed by the fact that the train was delayed and – god forbid – the service was off schedule, I saw a Swiss train employee sprint down the platform and verbally abuse the fan inside the doorway. It was the first and only time during my entire trip where I saw a Swiss person lose their cool.I don’t know whose idea it was, but there was one policy that I’m still completely stunned by its brilliance. Anyone holding a match ticket was allowed free transportation within Switzerland (and presumably Austria) on any train, tram or bus on the day of the match and up to Noon the following day.All you had to do was to walk on to any train, tram or bus and you were guaranteed free transportation. No ticket needed. This made traveling to and from matches a breeze. Imagine having to queue with several thousand fans to get a ticket to go on a train and how much chaos that would have created, just as one example.By allowing the free transportation, it made the experience easier for the football fan, ensured that trains arrived and departed on time, encouraged supporters to travel more freely around the country (and to spend more money in other cities because they saved money by not having to buy the transportation tickets in the first place).Everything else was also run smoothly. After the Fan Zones ended each night, the areas and streets nearby were littered with trash from the fans. But by nine the next morning, the streets were immaculate after the cleaning crews had cleaned everything up in the early hours of the morning.Throughout Bern and Zurich, there were plenty of police and security presence as well as helpful Euro 2008 volunteers wearing sky blue shirts to help answer questions.All of the Swiss people I met too were polite and helpful. Life in Switzerland seems so laid back in comparison to the United States. While Switzerland is filled with ancient buildings, the newer ones all seem very modern (the Zurich airport is one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever visited).Maybe all that money that the United States spends on weapons and the military could be better invested in its own country instead by fixing the infrastructure such as roads, bridges and signage? The Swiss system obviously seems to be working much better

The football fever that was absent in Zurich was well and truly present in Bern from the moment when I arrived at the train station of the Swiss capital.Before we even arrived in Bern, I was prepared for the crazy Dutch fans. Back in the summer of 1994, I was introduced to the Clockwork Orange in Orlando where tens of thousands invaded the land of Mickey Mouse to support their team during the World Cup. They were a joy to behold back then, all dressed in orange, wearing wooden clogs and incessantly singing and drinking.Within minutes of departing the train station in Bern, I could hear the Dutch fans singing in the distance. This was 11:45am local time and it still was 9 hours before the game against Italy was scheduled to begin!Walking through the cobbled streets of Bern, I began to see more and more Dutch fans walking through the streets. It wasn’t long before I realized that this sleepy town was beginning to be painted orange.Within 30 minutes, I ran into a cute Dutch girl from the eastern part of Holland. Wearing an orange apron and cowboy hat, she spoke fluent English and introduced us to her crazy band of friends. Two of them were Swiss, from Lucern, who had been adopted as Dutch fans and were completely clad in orange including one of them wearing an orange wig with ponytails. The ringleader in the cowboy hat was joined by her college friend who featured orange pantyhose and other Dutch paraphernalia. Then there was their male Dutch friend wearing an orange wig and hat.The group of Dutch fans invited us to join them in the Fan Zone. Walking up the hill in the direction of the Fan Zone area, the Dutch girls regaled us with their songs about Holland (including the infamous “Hup Holland Hup,” which is easy to learn and quite addictive). We also chatted about how unique Dutch culture is as well as the nightly porn channels on free basic TV in Holland.When we arrived at the Fan Zone, we knew we had arrived. The square, renamed Orange Square for the tournament, was filled with several thousand Dutch fans. It was an unbelievable sight. Thousands of Dutch fans, clad in bright orange, who were wearing the most creative costumes. There were men dressed in lion costumes, orange Elvis outfits, others who were cross dressers complete in Dutch maid costumes and much more.Without a doubt, football fever had arrived.The Orange Square was alive with the sounds of music pumping out of the speakers. The DJ onstage played Dutch favorites as well as classic sing-a-long tracks such as Delilah by Tom Jones and I’m So Excited by The Pointer Sisters. The growing number of Dutch fans sang along.With the sun beating down on an unusually hot day, the party atmosphere continued. The Dutch fans drank beer, sang songs and were having a communal experience with their Dutch brothers and sisters. One of the Dutch girls that I ran into earlier explained that Dutch people usually hate hanging out with each other on vacation, but when it comes to soccer matches, everyone comes together to celebrate.She also explained the Dutch tradition of the fans walking over to football stadiums. They all walk as one, thousands together and when they get to an intersection where the traffic lights are green, they all sit down together in the intersection and continue singing songs, to the displeasure of the motorists. When the light turns amber, they walk on to the next set of traffic lights and continue doing the same thing all the way to the ground.We decided to leave the Orange Square to explore the other areas of Bern and bid our farewells to our new friends. As we were walking out of the Fan Zone, we saw the streams of thousands of fans pouring into the zone. While the Fan Zone was open to all fans — whether they be Dutch, neutral or Italian fans — the Dutch had taken over. No Italian fans were among them. Not even one.Walking through the many cobbled streets of Bern, we could see by now that the entire city had been “painted” orange. Dutch fans were everywhere. On balconies, inside stores, walking through the streets in large processions, sitting in the parks and walking around the city as we were doing. There were literally tens of thousands of them throughout this tiny city (with a population of 127,000). The wonderful thing about the Dutch is that even though they love to party and drink, there’s little to no violence. Contrast that with the English yobs who frequent clubs and pubs every Saturday night in their home country where alcohol fuels violence.EPL Talk reader Oleg Zhovnir and I continued to explore the city, marveling at the increasing number of Netherland fans streaming into the city from the train station. Slowly, very slowly, Italian fans were beginning to sprinkle into the crowds but we only saw approximately 1,000 in the city. While Orange Square was teeming with Dutch fans, there were several other squares throughout the city in other Fan Zones. There was one that included more Italians than Dutch, but the Italians were silent, sitting down or juggling footballs with friends.Around 4pm, we decided to make the walk to the stadium 30 minutes from the city centre. The whole route was blocked off from traffic so we were able to walk with thousands of fans through the neighborhoods where the Swiss were selling food, drink and merchandise. Many of the Swiss were sitting outside watching the football carnival pass by their homes.Walking over the bridge from the old part of Bern into the newer part, we looked back and saw the beautiful views of the old city with its ancient buildings, tall church towers, the Stadthaus and the green mountains surrounding the city as well as the river snaking its way around the town. What a beautiful town to play a football match.After walking more than 30 minutes, we finally arrived at the Wankdorf Stadium. Here, we noticed that there were a lot more Italian fans. Rather than joining together in the city, they seemed to be arriving separately at the stadium. Again, they were pretty silent and were nothing like the partying Dutch we had saw earlier.When we walked inside the Wankdorf Stadium, there were a few thousand fans inside who had the same idea as us of watching the Romania against France match on the big screens. As the game progressed, the stadium began to fill. By the middle of the second half of the boring nil-nil match, the stadium was almost completely full.What surprised me though was how loud the Italian fans were. While the Dutch were still making their way to the stadium, the majority of Italian fans had already arrived and were standing at one end of the stadium. Here the Italians began to hoist their banners over the railings and began to make noise, a lot of noise. Opposite from the Italians were the unmistakeable sea of orange, but the Dutch were eerily silent.As the players, dressed in their suits, came on to the field, the Italian fans exploded, unfurling their flags, jumping up and down and singing songs and cheering. The sight was a beautiful one seeing the red, white and green colors mixed with the blue shirts in the stands.Getting closer to kickoff, it was obvious to see that there were a lot more Dutch fans in the stadium than Italians — probably twice as many. However, what shocked me was that the Italian fans for most of the match were louder than the Dutch. It almost seemed like the Dutch fans were nervous that their team would not meet their expectations. Or maybe they had partied too hard earlier in the day in the city center and had run out of energy. The Italian fans, who were silent in the city and outside the city center, sang and acted like world champions.When the Dutch scored the first and second goals, the stadium erupted with noise but soon after it quietened down. Again, it felt like the Dutch were nervous and uneasy, thinking that the Italians would find a way to come back and equalize in the game. It wasn’t until the second half that the Dutch began to get louder overtaking the noise that the Italians had made. And when the
third goal went in, the party atmosphere returned with the Dutch singing louder and more proudly than before, while the Italians became more silenced. Many of them, in my section, began walking out of the stadium in disgust when it was three nil to the Dutch.In the next few days, I’ll be sharing more of the experiences I had while in Switzerland. I’m now back in the States and recovering from all of the traveling. But before I go, I’d like to thank Castrol Oil for sponsoring EPL Talk and providing free tickets to the match in Switzerland. Learn more about Castrol’s excellent Euro 2008 statistics site at http://www.euro2008statistics.com